Five Lady Chants thrive on golf course, in classroom

The Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) named five Coastal Carolina women’s golfers, Jessica Alexander, Frida Castillo, Brittany Henderson, Marissa Hinchman and Lena Schaeffner, to the 2012-13 Division I All-American Scholar team as announced on Monday.

The honor is the fourth-consecutive for Henderson, the second four-time recipient in program history. Alexander is appearing on the list for the third straight year, while Castillo, Hinchman and Schaeffner earned the award for the first time.

“I’m proud of these student-athletes for their latest accomplishments,” said Coastal Carolina women’s golf head coach Katie Quinney. “To be named as an All-American Scholar by the WGCA while competing year round shows that these players have high expectations both athletically and academically.”

In all, 644 student-athletes across Division I, II and III schools, were honored for their work in the classroom and on the course. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.5.

Henderson (3.964 GPA, management), who also earned Capital One/CoSIDA All-America honors this season, was voted the Big South Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as Academic All-Big South; she was also named Academic All-Big South in 2012. Among her peers, Henderson was voted Coastal Carolina’s Presidential Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Henderson’s career has been equally impressive on the course. The senior recently completed her final competition as a Chanticleer, placing 19th (tied) at the NCAA Central Regional in Norman, Okla. In April, Henderson became just the third student-athlete to win multiple Big South Championship individual medalist honors, completing the feat in both 2012 and 2013. In addition, she was named the 2013 Big South Women’s Golfer of the Year by the league’s coaches.

Alexander (3.625 GPA, management) competed in each of the Chants’ 13 events on the season, finishing the season with a 74.38 scoring average. The senior won the M&F Bank Rebel Intercollegiate with a 54-hole school record score of 8-under 208 and posted seven top 10-worthy performances. Alexander also earned All-Big South honors and was named to the inaugural Big South All-Championship team.

Castillo (3.545 GBP, exercise and sport science) competed in 12 team events, posting a season scoring average of 76.45. The sophomore carded a season-low 54-hole score of 211 at M&F Rebel Intercollegiate. In addition, Castillo helped the Chanticleers to the 2013 Big South championship with an eighth-place individual finish.

Hinchman (3.611, marketing) totaled 34 rounds across 13 event for the Chant during her freshman campaign. The Lodi, Calif., native closed the year with a 77.56 scoring average. She notched four top 20 and two top 10 finishes, including a season-high ninth-place showing in a head-to-head match against San Francisco. Hinchman also earned Big South All-Freshman honors.

Schaeffner (3.667, management) posted a season scoring average of 76.82, while playing in 13 events as a freshman. Schaeffner’s campaign was highlighted by a second-place finish at the Big South Championship where she equaled her career-best with a 4-over 220. She was named to Big South All-Freshman team and the conference’s all-championship squad.

In addition to the required 3.5 minimum GPA, student-athletes must meet a number of requirements, including being of high moral character and in good standing at the college making the nomination, and the student-athlete must have played in 50 percent of the team’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year nominated.

The WGCA, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women’s collegiate golf coaches. Today, the WGCA represents nearly 500 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.